Be My Date
by DaLiza
Summary: Booth invites Bones to the wedding of a fellow FBI agent. BB cuteness and fluffiness ensue.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: After finishing "Dirty Little Secret" (which was about ten chapters and 20,000 words longer than I originally intended), I thought I would take a break from fanfic for a while...and I got the idea for this story the next day! Many thanks to CalleighAryn, the best beta in all of fanficdom, for her support and suggestions. :)**

"I don't believe it, Booth," Agent Jim Ryan said as he marched into Booth's office and settled himself into the chair across from his desk.

Booth stared at his friend and co-worker, wondering what the hell he was talking about. "What don't you believe?"

Ryan stuck his hand in his pants pocket and pulled out a small white card. He showed the card to Booth, who recognized it as the RSVP card he had filled out for Ryan's wedding. "That you wrote the number 1 next to 'number of guests including yourself.' You're a good looking guy, a perfect gentleman, and a war hero to boot. Girls must love you, and yet you're coming to my wedding _alone_?"

Booth laughed at Ryan's description of him. "You may have found your girl, but not everyone is so lucky."

_I think you've found your girl too, whether you admit it to yourself or not, _Ryan thought. "You and Dr. Brennan seem to get along well. Did you ask her to be your guest?"

Booth's body temperature rose at the mention of his partner. "No. I didn't think she would have a good time."

"Why not?"

"A lot of our colleagues are going to be at your wedding and..." Booth paused, thinking how he could say this without revealing his feelings for his partner. "...too many of them ogle her whenever she comes to the FBI building." _I don't think she notices, but I do and it's disgusting._

"They don't ogle her," Ryan said, trying to comfort his friend. "They just...look at her with appreciation."

Booth snorted. "A little too much appreciation. Some of them are worse than horny teenagers. Who knows what they might do when they start drinking. I don't want to subject her to that."

_You can't stand the thought of them hitting on her. Jealousy, thy name is Booth. _"Booth, our colleagues aren't stupid. They know that you'll kick their asses if they're inappropriate with Dr. Brennan. The most they'll do is ask her to dance."

Booth recalled the lusty men in Aurora competing over her in the bar. She hadn't minded dancing with Charlie the overnight guy, Dr. Rigby the cannibal, or Sheriff Scutter, so she probably wouldn't mind dancing with the FBI agents who would line up for the chance. _What if she hooks up with one of them, like she hooked up with Sully?_ He pushed the unwelcome thought out of his head. "I had other reasons for not asking her. You and Lynn are having a traditional Catholic wedding. Bones isn't into weddings or religion. If I even mentioned the word 'wedding', she'd go off about marriage being an archaic ritual. Plus, she's the least religious person I've ever known. She refers to God as 'my invisible friend'."

Ryan smiled. "I guess that's one way to look at Him. But she is an anthropologist, right? She might like to observe a modern religious ceremony."

"Maybe." He remembered the time Bones had wanted to go to church with him. He had told her no, not wanting to get excommunicated or struck by lighting when Bones denied the existence of God in a church full of parishioners. Yet after she had been taken by the Grave Digger, he had wanted her by his side when he thanked God for saving her. It still scared him to think how close he had been to losing her forever.

Ryan could see that Booth was lost in his thoughts. "Uh, Booth? You still with me?"

Booth shook himself out of his reverie. "Sorry." He took a few moments to gather his thoughts. "So why are you so determined for me to invite her to the wedding?"

Ryan leaned forward in his seat and whispered. "I was thinking that it could be a great opportunity for you to ask her out."

Booth swallowed hard. "Invite Bones to the wedding as my _date_? I can't do that; she's my partner."

_But you want her to be more than that, _Ryan thought. He could hear it in Booth's voice whenever he talked about her. "So you don't want to date her?"

Booth prayed for an interruption; A ringing phone or fellow agent bringing news would do the trick. A natural disaster would be alright too. Maybe an earthquake or flood or a fire in the building—anything to get him out of this conversation. After waiting a few seconds, he had to accept that he wasn't going to receive any divine assistance. "No, of course not. Why would you think that?"

_Everyone thinks that. We've all seen the way you look at her. _"Booth, as your friend, there's something I should tell you. I'm worried, though, that you might shoot the messenger."

"Why would I do that?"

"Well, there was the time you shot a clown speaker on an ice cream truck."

Booth rolled his eyes. He would never live that one down. At the moment, however, he was happy that the conversation had been temporarily diverted from his relationship with Bones. "That clown was asking for it."

Ryan laughed. "I bet it was. I've never liked clowns. They freak me out. I really wish I'd been there to see it."

"Maybe I'll shoot another plastic clown for you as a wedding present," Booth joked. "So... what is it that you should tell me?" He was sure that he wouldn't like the answer, but his curiosity was piqued.

Ryan took a deep breath. "You asked why I thought you wanted to date Dr. Brennan. I know that you care about her a lot, and I'm not the only one who sees it. People like to gossip about you two. Some say that you're screwing her, others that you haven't yet but you want to. If you don't want to date her then--"

"Hold on!" Booth interrupted angrily. "Who's saying all this?"

"If I started naming names, we'd be here for a long time. Let's just say that you and Dr. Brennan are a popular topic of conversation. Anyway, as I was saying, even if you don't want to date her, you could still invite her to the wedding as a friend. It might even put an end to all of the gossip."

Booth raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "How?"

"Not many people at the FBI have seen you two together for more than a few minutes in passing. Invite her to the wedding and our co-workers will have hours to interact with you both. They'll realize that your relationship is completely professional."

"Of course it is. I don't need to prove that to anyone," Booth snapped.

"I'm sorry if I upset you, man." Making Booth miserable hadn't been part of the plan.

Booth heard the sincerity in his voice and regretted snapping at him. "It's okay. I appreciate you telling me what people are saying behind my back." _I'd appreciate it more if you gave me names so I could beat the crap out of them, _Booth thought, _but you can't have everything. _"You're a good friend, Jimmy."

"And so are you. You were right. You shouldn't invite Dr. Brennan to my wedding to prove a point. Invite her because she's your friend and you enjoy her company. Think about it. I'll see you around, buddy." He left the office before Booth had the chance to change his mind about not shooting the messenger.

_Should I invite Bones to the wedding_? Booth asked himself when he was alone again._ It would be nice to have her company, but I don't want every guy in the room hitting on her. Not that I'm jealous. I mean, I have no right to be jealous. Bones and I aren't dating and I have no claim to her. I don't mind if she dances with other guys...as long as I get to rescue her like I did in Aurora. _He smiled at the memory. _If I invite her to the wedding, I'll have a perfect excuse to dance with her again_. _But she'll say no_, _won't she? Bones' views on marriage aren't exactly ambiguous. She thinks it's a stupid idea, and all the cases we've seen where someone has murdered a spouse haven't helped. She did go to Angela's almost wedding, but Angela's her best friend. She doesn't know Jim and Lynn._

_Make a decision, Seeley, _his mind urged. _Are you going to ask her or not?_

After several minutes of internal deliberation, Booth had his decision. He decided that he would decide later.

XXXXXXXXXX

After leaving Booth's office, Agent Ryan headed to the bustling FBI forensics lab to visit his beautiful fiancee Lynn. Forging a path through the throng of scientists, he eventually found her leaning over a table, peering into a microscope. "Hey, honey," he said as he kissed her on the cheek. "How's your day going?"

She turned her face towards his and kissed him in return. "Okay. How's your day, my darling?"

"Good. Even better now that I'm talking to you."

"You're so sweet," she said, kissing him again. "Did you talk to Booth yet?"

He laughed at the excitement in her voice. "Yup. I just came from his office."

She waited for him to continue, but he was clearly in no hurry. "And...?"

"And what?" He teased, knowing exactly what she wanted to hear.

She playfully smacked his arm. "Don't be mean, Jimmy. How did it go?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "I tried to convince him, but I couldn't tell if it worked. He's in serious denial about his feelings for her."

She laughed. "You didn't exactly rush to tell me your feelings for me. It took you months to get up the courage to ask me out."

"It may have taken me a while, but at least I did it eventually. Booth's waited for over _two years_. I don't know how he can work with her so closely day after day and pretend that he's not madly in love with her. One of these days he's going to snap and start making out with her at a crime scene."

She laughed again. "Hopefully your talk will give him the push he needs." As she spoke a lab technician dropped off more samples for her to analyze. " I wish we could keep talking, but I really need to finish this. Will you meet me for lunch?"

"Definitely." He gave her a big smile and one last kiss before leaving the lab.

A few hours later, when she had completed enough work to take a guilt-free break, Lynn took her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed her former colleague at the Jeffersonian. "Hey, it's Lynn. Jimmy talked to Booth. He's not sure if he succeeded, but at least he put the idea in his head."

Angela grinned. "Excellent. The game is afoot."

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to review; I love reading every comment. Thanks as always to the incomparable CalleighAryn, my kick-ass beta and model for what a true friend should be.**

"Are you busy right now?" Angela asked as she stood in the doorway of Brennan's office. She laughed at herself as soon as the words left her mouth. _That was a stupid question. When is Brennan not busy? _"I mean, are you busier than usual?"

Brennan kept her eyes fixed on the computer screen as she answered. "Yes."

_Damn it, Bren! I really want to start stage two of Operation BoothBrennan Consummation!_ _Then again, you sound super stressed at the moment, so maybe this isn't the best time. _"Okay. I'll talk to you later then." She turned around to leave when Brennan's voice stopped her.

"Is something wrong?" Brennan readily admitted that picking up on social cues was not one of her strengths, but even she could hear the disappointment in Angela's voice.

Taking that as an invitation, Angela walked over to Brennan's couch and sat down. "I just wanted to talk to you about something when you have a minute. What are you working on?"

"My book. I'm making some final revisions that my editor wanted. She needs the finished product ASAP, so I have to do as much as I can while Booth and I are between cases."

"How's it going?" Angela asked merely for the sake of conversation. The frustration in Brennan's voice and the way she was currently glaring at her computer had already given Angela her answer.

"It could be much better. This scene just isn't working." She wondered if she should put it aside for the moment, but her perfectionist brain was telling her that she needed to finish it **now**. She had always hated leaving things unfinished.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out sooner or later, sweetie. You always do. I have faith in you."

Brennan looked away from her computer and faced Angela for the first time since she had stepped into her office. "Angela, faith is an illogical belief in something that is logically impossible."

Angela sighed. _You play the logic card way too often. There's more to life than logic. _"You're my best friend, Bren. It's only _logical _that I would want to support you."

"I know. I'm thankful for your support." Brennan's gaze returned to the infuriating page before her.

"Anytime, sweetie." Wanting to get Brennan's full attention again, she added: "I can't wait to read the sex scenes you've cooked up for yourself and Booth in this one. Is there anything involving handcuffs and whipped cream?"

Brennan blushed. "For the last time, Kathy and Andy are NOT me and Booth!" No matter how strongly she denied it, Angela never seemed to believe her.

Angela rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. They're based on some other strong, sexy FBI agent and beautiful, brilliant forensic anthropologist team you know."

Brennan chose to ignore the comment. "When I finish this book, I'm taking a break from writing."

"What? You don't have to do that. I promise I'll stop teasing you."

"It's not that. The whole process takes too much time." She retrieved a piece of paper from her desk and walked over to Angela to hand it to her. "Look at this book signing schedule my publicist gave me. It's absurd."

Angela marveled at the long list of places and dates. "Whoa. This is insane. If this publicist doesn't respect the fact that your full time job is here, get a new one."

"Ange, my last publicist was murdered and covered in fire ants. People weren't eager to work with me after that."

"Okay, I can see that." Suddenly one of the dates on the page caught her eye. _Oh no! This could ruin everything! _"Bren, you have to reschedule this one." She pointed to the offending date. "This is the same day as Lynn's wedding!"

"Who's Lynn?" Brennan asked. Finally accepting that she wasn't getting any work done, she sat beside Angela on the couch.

"Lynn Stewart. She used to work here a couple years ago. I don't think you ever met her, did you?" When Brennan shook her head, Angela continued. "You would like her. She's very nice and very smart. I wish she had stayed here, but the FBI offered her a better position in their forensics lab. We've kept in touch over the years, so she invited me to her wedding."

Brennan was confused. "So I should reschedule a book signing because it's on the same day as the wedding of a woman I've never met? She didn't invite _me_."

"I know, but Jimmy, her future husband, is a FBI agent and good friends with Booth, so Booth's going to the wedding too. I think he might ask you to come with him."

"Why would I want to go to a wedding? Marriage is an--"

"–archaic ritual, I know. But you came to my wedding," Angela argued. "It didn't exactly end in a marriage, but it could have."

"You're my friend and I was your maid of honor, so not going wasn't an option. I don't know Lynn or her future husband."

"You'll know at least three people there: me, Hodgins, and Booth. You'll probably know some of the other FBI agents there too. We'll have a great time, you'll see."

Brennan didn't understand why Angela sounded so excited. "Why are you convinced that Booth will ask me? He knows how I feel about marriage. He'll want to invite someone with more traditional views, someone who is more adept at social customs than I am."

Angela resisted the overwhelming urge to take her friend by the shoulders and shake her until she admitted that Booth had feelings for her. "He doesn't care about that. He'll want to invite you _because he likes you. _A lot. Think about it. When you wouldn't go out into the field with him while Zach was away, he wouldn't stop whining. He needs to be around you. He shows you that every day, every time he looks at you or touches your back to lead you somewhere. If he invites you to the wedding, it proves that I'm right, that he loves you so much that he can't miss an opportunity to be with you."

_Why is she so insistent that Booth loves me? I can tell he's attracted to me, but that's it. The women he loves are blonde like Rebecca and Tessa. Well, Cam has dark hair, but she may be a statistical outlier. What is 'love' anyway but a combination of hormones the body releases to promote the survival of the species? 'Love' is merely a socially acceptable excuse for engaging in sexual relations, and Booth has made it clear that sexual relations are outside the boundaries of our partnership. He gets uncomfortable if I even talk about sex in front of him. _"Ange, Booth doesn't love me. He and I are just--"

Angela put her hand out like a crossing guard stopping traffic. "Don't give me the 'just partners' speech. 'Just partners' don't show up unannounced at each other's apartments with take out, or give each other 'guy hugs', or hang out on the steps of national monuments in the moonlight...and those are only the things you've told me about. Say for the sake of argument that I'm right about Booth asking you. What would you tell him?"

Brennan was starting to wish that she had let Angela leave her office. "Why waste time conjecturing about a highly improbable situation? I need to get back to my book." She started to walk back to her desk, but Angela blocked her.

"Come on, Bren," she pleaded. "Just tell me-- would you agree to go if Booth asked you?"

"If I say 'yes', will you let me get back to work?" She tried to move around Angela, but Angela moved with her.

"Only if you mean it."

"I'll think about it...if he asks me, which he most likely won't. That's the best I can do."

"Alright. I hope you do say yes, but I understand why you would have reservations. A night of celebration and drinking and dancing and laughing with friends can't possibly compete with sitting in a stuffy bookstore for hours while strangers tell you how wonderful you are." She stepped aside to let Brennan go back to her desk. "Of course, Booth will be totally devastated if you say no. He'll spend the whole wedding pouting that you're not there, and he'll make everyone around him as miserable as he is, but that's not your problem."

Brennan laughed. "You really have a way with words, Ange. Maybe you could finish my scene for me."

"I'd be happy to help, sweetie. They say that two heads are better than one, and it can be nice to have a fresh perspective when you've been working on a problem for so long."

"That's kind of you, but I'm sure you have other things--"

"I honestly don't have anything important to do this afternoon. I'd be honored to help you wrap up your latest literary masterpiece."

Brennan considered the offer. She didn't like admitting that she needed help, but, logically speaking, if Angela did help her she might be able to finish the book more quickly and move on to her other work. "Okay. Let's do it."

The next hour flew by as Angela sat next to Brennan at her computer, offering suggestions and encouragement. Brennan soon realized that Angela was a skilled editor, so much so that she regretted not asking her for help earlier. They were so engrossed in their work that they didn't hear Booth entering the office.

"Hello, ladies." His words jolted both of them out of their thoughts.

"Do we have a case?" Brennan asked, turning to face him.

"No. I...uh...wanted to ask you something, but it looks like you're busy, so I'll come back--"

Angela jumped out of her chair. "We're not busy. We're done here, right Bren? Right. You guys talk, I'll be in my office." She bit her lip so she didn't squeal on her way out of the office.

Booth noticed Angela's unusually large smile as she brushed past him. "What's up with Angela? Did she win the lottery or something?"

"No...she's just in a good mood. So what did you want to talk about?"

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thanks as always to my loyal reviewers--your words inspire me to keep going when I get stuck--and to my best friend CalleighAryn, whose thoughtful suggestions improve every chapter.**

Seeley Booth felt like an idiot.

Of course, having spent two years working with Brennan and the squints, this was a feeling he knew well. Whenever his attempts to decipher squint speak left him feeling like the dumbest person on earth, he reminded himself that his street smarts more than compensated for his lack of scientific intelligence. Unlike the squints, he understood how the world worked. He knew how to get information out of _living _people-- how to talk to them and how to make them talk to him. He knew how to form a plan of attack for any situation. Once he had a plan, he executed it every time.

So when he had decided to ask Bones to be his date, after hours of pretending he was concentrating on his paperwork and not daydreaming about dancing with her at the wedding, he had planned exactly what he would say. He had even rehearsed it in his mind as he left the Hoover building and drove to the Jeffersonian. Now the moment had come for him to give his speech, and he found that all his carefully chosen words had abandoned him. Bones was waiting for him to talk, and he could only stand there in silence.

_What the hell is wrong with me? I haven't been this tongue tied since I tried to ask Tracy Foster to the junior prom. It's not like I have a thing for Bones...well, maybe I have some feelings for her. Okay, a lot of feelings._ _I wonder how long I've been standing here. I need to say something soon or else I'm going to look like an even bigger idiot._

Brennan was puzzled. Her strong, confident, alpha male partner had walked into her office hundreds of times, and he had never been speechless before. "Booth... you did come here to talk to me, right?"

"Yeah." _Well said, Booth, _his mind jeered. _You're off to a great start so far._

"So talk."

_Right. I can do this. No need to be nervous. This is Bones, my Bones. I can say anything to her. _"I was just wondering if... if you had any plans for February 24?"

Brennan handed him the press schedule she had shown Angela earlier. "My publicist scheduled a book signing that day."

Booth barely glanced at the paper before handing it back to her. _I should have expected something like that; she's always busy with one thing or another. I shouldn't have let myself get so excited about the idea. She probably would have said no anyway. _"Okay. Never mind then." He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so disappointed, but he forced himself to smile. "I wouldn't want your devoted fans to miss out."

Brennan had seen too many of Booth's smiles to be fooled by this one. As she looked at him, Angela's words replayed themselves in her mind: _Booth will be totally devastated if you say no. _She didn't want Booth to be devastated. After everything he had done for her, she could do this for him. "I could reschedule it."

Now the smile on Booth's face was completely genuine. "You would do that?"

The change in his demeanor made Brennan smile too. Now he was acting like the Booth she had come to know over the last two years. "Yes."

Booth took a few moments to thank God and every saint he had learned about in Catholic school. "That's great, Bones. The reason I asked is that my buddy Jim Ryan is getting married on February 24, and I'd like you to be my date."

"Your _date_?" Brennan repeated incredulously, recalling Booth's talk about "the line" they couldn't cross.

Booth suddenly felt very warm. "As in my guest. I know you're not into the whole wedding/marriage thing, but I'd really like it if you agreed to come with me."

Brennan had already made her decision. "Okay. I'll come with you."

"Really?" Booth asked, not quite believing his good fortune. "I didn't think you'd agree so easily. I even prepared a list of logical reasons why you should go, but it was all for nothing."

"Oh. In that case, I've changed my mind. I'm not going to the wedding with you."

Booth's joy evaporated, replaced by panic and confusion. "What? Why did you change your mind?"

"So that you can use your arguments. That way you won't view the time and effort you spent formulating them as wasted."

Booth laughed._ Time spent thinking about you is never a waste. _"That's okay, Bones. We can save the arguing for our next case. I'm glad you're going to the wedding with me." He leaned in close to her as he spoke. If anyone else had tried to invade her personal space, she would have leaned back, but Booth was different. She let him get close to her, and they gazed at each other in mutual admiration until her ringing phone interrupted them.

"Brennan," she said into the phone. After a brief pause, Booth heard her say: "Yes, I'm almost done. You should be getting it very soon. Bye Molly." She placed the phone back in its cradle. "That was my editor. She's waiting for the final draft of my book, so I should get back to work."

Booth had hoped to stay with her a little longer, but it looked like his time was up. "I'll see you later then. Good luck with the book."

"Thanks."

"I can't wait to see what I do in this one," he said with a smirk. _I'm sure I have more great sex scenes with you._ _Maybe someday we can bring one of those scenes to life._

Brennan thought of the sex scene she had been revising with Angela's help and blushed. "Booth, Andy is NOT you."

She said it with conviction, but Booth saw her pale skin redden and took it as proof that he was right. "Whatever you say, Bones." He flashed her an ear to ear smile before leaving her office.

As he strode out of the lab, he saw Angela talking to Hodgins in the distance. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but Angela's animated body language spoke volumes. Hodgins appeared to be listening with rapt attention, his face glowing the way it did whenever he was explaining some ludicrous conspiracy theory. Curiosity drove Booth to approach them, and as he drew near he heard the word 'wedding'. "What's going on, squints?"

Both turned to him with open mouthed expressions. "Nothing," they answered simultaneously.

Booth laughed at the obviousness of the lie. "It didn't look like nothing. You guys were excited about something." He stared at both of them, waiting for either to confess.

"We were... just talking about some unidentified particulates I discovered at a recent crime scene. Nothing you'd find interesting," Hodgins lied.

_Yeah right. _"Particulates, huh? That is interesting, because I'm sure I heard the word 'wedding'."

"We were also talking about our wedding," Angela quickly added.

_She sounds more convincing than Hodgins, but she's still lying. _"Uh huh. I don't believe you."

"G-gotta go," Hodgins stuttered. "Those unidentified particulates aren't going to identify themselves." He raced back to his work station.

Angela smiled. "See you later, Booth." She turned away from him and started walking towards her lover.

"I'll find out sooner or later what you were really talking about," he called after her.

"I know, sweetie," she called back.

_Squints. __How do I put up with them day after day? _With a sigh and a smile, he left the Jeffersonian.

XXXXXXXXXX

Back at the Hoover building, surrounded once again by normal people, Booth headed for Jimmy's office.

"Hey Booth," Jimmy said when he saw him in the doorway. "What's up?"

Booth walked up to his desk. "Just came by to tell you that I need to change my RSVP card. It turns out that I am bringing a guest."

"You asked Dr. Brennan?" Booth nodded. "That's great. I'm happy she'll be there. Lynn will be too. She'll be thrilled to meet her. She was always disappointed that she didn't get the chance when she worked at the Jeffersonian. Apparently Dr. Brennan was on sabbatical for most of the time Lynn was there."

"Lynn used to work at the Jeffersonian? I didn't know that." Considering that both Jim and Lynn worked for the FBI, Booth had assumed that many of the guests would be FBI too. But if Lynn had ties to the Jeffersonian, the wedding could be full of squints! "Did she invite anyone from the Jeffersonian to the wedding?"

Jimmy nodded. "Yeah, her friend Angela."

"Angela Montenegro?"

He nodded again. "You know her?"

"She's Dr. Brennan's best friend." The wheels of Booth's mind were spinning rapidly. _So Lynn knows Angela. Maybe Angela was talking to Hodgins about Jim and Lynn's wedding! She was excited when I came into Brennan's office and said that I wanted to ask her something. Did Angela know I was going to ask Bones to the wedding? How could she? Even I didn't know until this afternoon...after Jimmy encouraged me to do it. Maybe Jimmy had some encouragement as well. _"Did Lynn ask you to talk to me about inviting my partner to the wedding?"

Jimmy looked embarrassed. "I thought that it was a good idea."

"I understand. See you around, Jimmy." _I can't believe Angela used my friend to butt into my personal life. I need to have a talk with that meddling squint._

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Thanks again to everyone who takes the time to review; your feedback means a lot to me. Special thanks to CalleighAryn for not only being an awesome beta, but also for inspiring me by taking me dress shopping.**

"Booth seemed pissed yesterday when he caught us talking about the wedding," Hodgins said as he and Angela ate lunch together in her office. "Do you think he's going to find out that you set him up?"

"This is Booth we're talking about. Of course he's going to find out," Angela answered. "They didn't make him a FBI agent just because he looks sexy in a suit."

"Do I look sexy in a suit?" Hodgins asked, trying not to be hurt by her enthusiasm for Booth's body.

_He's so cute when he's insecure. _"So sexy that I want to take it off you," she purred. "You don't need to worry, Jack. I may admire Booth's physical features–just as you admired Agent Frost's assets–but you're the only man for me."

"I love you, babe."

"I love you too." She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close for a long, lingering kiss.

"You're an amazing woman, Angela," he whispered when the kiss ended. " I can't wait to marry you."

"I can't wait either." She remembered the utter contentment she had felt when she had walked down the aisle towards him. Everything had been perfect...until that idiotic paper pusher had ruined it all by bringing up the unfortunate detail of her earlier "marriage". _I guess it wasn't his fault that I got married under the influence, but he could have had better timing. _"We should do something totally different for our next wedding."

"We can do anything you want. As long as we finish the ceremony without some government stooge interrupting, I'll be happy. You don't have any other husbands that I should know about you, do you?"

"Well, to be honest..." Angela laughed at the look of terror on his face. "No, I don't."

Hodgins sighed in relief. "You really scared me there for a few seconds."

Angela kissed his cheek in apology. "Sorry. Maybe Lynn's wedding will give us some ideas. I still can't believe that Booth asked Brennan to go with him and she agreed! It worked out perfectly."

Hodgins smiled at her excitement. "Booth should thank you for that when he does find out."

"Hopefully he won't find out until after the wedding...or after he and Brennan admit their passionate feelings for each other."

"You're such a romantic, babe. That's one of the many things I love about..." He trailed off when he saw a familiar face walking towards them. "Uh oh."

"What is it?"

"Booth's headed straight for us, and he doesn't look happy. Do you think he knows?"

Booth opened the door to the office before Angela could answer. "Hello, squints."

"Hello, Booth," Angela cheerfully replied, ignoring the veiled anger in his voice. "If you're looking for your wedding date, she's in her office."

Booth chuckled. "I was actually looking for you, Angela. Hodgins, I need to talk to your girlfriend alone for a few minutes. NOW."

Hodgins boldly approached him. "Dude, I know you have a gun, but if you hurt her I'll take you down."

Booth's eyes widened in surprise. He had never been threatened by a squint before. "You really think I would hurt her?" He glared at Hodgins as his initial shock quickly turned into annoyance.

The intensity of Booth's stare made Hodgins step back. "No. I...I just wanted to...make sure." Turning his back to Booth, he kissed Angela on the cheek. "See you soon." He smiled at her as he left the office.

_My Hodgy is so heroic._ "What can I do for you, Booth?"

"You've done enough," Booth scoffed. "I know that you told Lynn to have Jimmy talk to me about inviting Bones to the wedding. We're not in high school anymore, Angela. I'm an adult, and you have no right to interfere in my personal life."

"I wouldn't have had to interfere if you had asked her on your own," Angela argued.

"If you thought that I should have asked her to the wedding, you could have talked to _me_. Using Jimmy to get to me was sneaky and underhanded."

"But it worked," Angela countered. "Are you unhappy with the result? Do you wish that you hadn't asked her?"

"No, I'm happy that I asked her, but I don't appreciate being manipulated."

"Don't think of it as manipulation. Think of it as one friend helping another. I knew you were too scared to ask Brennan, so I wanted to give you a little push."

"I wasn't _scared_ to ask Bones," he said defensively. "I didn't think she would want to go to a wedding."

"That's the excuse you used not to ask her. The truth is that you were afraid she'd reject you...which is why you've never asked her on a date before."

"Whoa. Way off base there, Angela. I've never asked Bones on a date because we work together...that is, if I wanted to date her...which I don't."

_Nice try, Booth. _"I had doubts about dating Hodgins for the same reason, but we've made it work. You and Brennan can too."

Booth knew Angela had seen right through him. "You and Hodgins are lucky. It could have just as easily not worked out. I'm not willing to risk my friendship with Bones or our partnership. This isn't a date; I asked her to the wedding as a friend."

_I see I still have a lot of work ahead of me. _"You don't look at her like she's a friend. You look at her like you're in love with her."

"Angela, I--"

"Don't try to deny it. You're not the only one who can read people, you know. I think it's wonderful that you care about Brennan so much. After all of her crappy relationships, she deserves a guy like you. I did what I did because you and Brennan are my friends and I want you both to be happy. Is that so terrible?"

Booth smiled, letting his earlier anger slip away. "No, it's not. Thanks, Angela. You're a good friend...even if you are a meddling squint."

She laughed. "I won't apologize for meddling; you guys desperately needed help. I'm sorry, though, that you felt manipulated." A wicked smile slowly spread across her face. "I know how I can make it up to you."

"How?" The evil gleam in her eyes made him slightly nervous.

"When I take Brennan shopping for the wedding, I'll have her buy something really sexy."

"She's always--" He stopped himself just in time. "She'll look nice no matter what she wears."

_You almost said 'She's always sexy'. That's so adorable! _"Well, I'll make sure she looks extra 'nice'. You won't be able to take your eyes off of her."_ Not like you would anyway._

XXXXXXXXXX

"I still don't see why I need to buy a new dress," Brennan complained as she and Angela entered the department store. "I already have a few dresses that would be suitable for a wedding."

Angela sighed. She had been trying to convince Brennan to go shopping with her every weekend for the past few months. Now that the wedding was a week away, Angela had finally worn down Brennan's resistance–but obviously her best friend had yet to embrace the idea fully. "People buy new clothes for special occasions, Bren. Your first date with Booth is a special occasion."

"It's not a date," Brennan said firmly.

Angela led Brennan to the dresses section. "Didn't you say that Booth asked you to be his _date_?"

"Yes, but he explained that he was using the word to mean 'guest'. He doesn't want to date me. We're friends and partners, nothing more." She picked a long, sensible black dress off a nearby rack and showed it to Angela. "How about this one?"

Angela narrowed her eyes in disgust. "Way too conservative. It's a wedding, not a funeral. Let's find you a dress that celebrates life." She found a short blue dress with a plunging neckline and held it up for Brennan. "How about this one?"

Brennan examined the dress. "I'm not comfortable showing that much skin."

"Too bad." Angela put it back on the rack. "It would have driven Booth crazy."

"Why would I want to drive Booth crazy?"

"Because it would be fun." She took a simple, elegant black dress with spaghetti straps off the rack. "What do you think about this one?"

Brennan smiled. "It looks like the dress Booth bought for me in Vegas."

Angela nearly dropped the dress. "What?!"

"We were going undercover," Brennan explained. "It was my costume."

_Oh. My. God._ "Booth bought you a dress like this, and you think he isn't hot for you? Bren, denial isn't just a river in Egypt."

"That's true."

_I can't believe she admitted it! _"Really?" She put the Vegas-like dress back on the rack before she could drop it again.

"Yes. In addition to Egypt, the Nile River flows through Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya--"

"Brennan! I wasn't really talking about the Nile. I was talking about you denying that Booth has feelings for you...and that you have feelings for him."

"Don't start that again, Ange." She selected a dress at random merely to change the topic of conversation. "What about this one?"

"Sweetie...that...is... hideous," Angela choked out between bursts of laughter.

Brennan looked at the dress for the first time, noticing that it was orange with green polka dots. "You're right." She laughed along with Angela as she put the dress back.

"Okay, you are no longer allowed to pick out dresses." She took Brennan's hand and dragged her to the fitting rooms. "Stay in there and I'll bring dresses to you."

Forty minutes and sixteen dresses later, Brennan decided that she had found "the one". It was lavender, silk, strapless, and, unlike many of the dresses Angela had picked for her, sexy without being obscene. It fit her perfectly, showing off her curves and accentuating her chest.

"I love it," Angela gushed when Brennan stepped out of the fitting room. "Booth will too. He won't be able to keep his han...I mean, his eyes off of you." Seeing that Brennan was about to protest, she switched gears. "We should get you a nice strapless bra to wear with this. What do you think?"

Brennan was too tired to argue, so she nodded. "Fine."

"Great. Let's pay for the dress and get out of here. I know a great lingerie store we can go to." _I need to make sure she buys a pretty bra...just in case Booth ends up seeing it after the wedding._

Brennan returned to the fitting room to change back into her normal clothes. When she came out again, the dress draped over her arm, she saw that Angela was beaming. "What are you thinking, Ange?" She asked as they walked to the registers.

Angela put her arm around Brennan's shoulders. "That we're going to have such a great time." _I'll have you and Booth together by the end of the wedding, just you wait._

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated.:)**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Thanks to my reviewers, whose kind words make my day/ And to CalleighAryn, for her support along the way.**

_Booth's coming to pick me up in ten minutes, so I need to hurry_. Brennan quickly applied the finishing touches to her make-up. _I should have allowed more time to get ready, but I didn't think it would take me this long. Obviously, I was wrong, but there's nothing I can do about it now. I need to calm down--stress is counter-productive. _

When she finished her make-up routine a few minutes later, she examined her reflection as intently as she would a pile of remains. Her eye shadow, mascara, blush and lipstick looked perfect. No one would know she had applied them in haste. Her hair rested on her shoulders, gently framing her face. She had originally planned an elaborate hairstyle, but Angela had insisted that she wear it down. Satisfied with her hair, her gaze shifted to her necklace, a silver chain with a large sapphire pendant, and then to her dress. She searched it for wrinkles but found none, not surprising considering she had ironed it that morning. When her examination of her appearance was complete, she had to conclude that her time had been well spent. _I'm ready for my date now_.

Brennan cringed at her choice of words_. Wait a minute! My __**date**?_ _Is that why I took so long to get ready? Because I'm treating this like a date_? _I know it's not a date, I've been telling Angela that for months!_ _Booth asked me to be his guest, that's all. We're just friends._

The phrase "just friends" echoed in her mind until a knock at her door tore her away from her thoughts. She opened the door and motioned for Booth to come in, but he didn't move. He remained in her doorway, staring at her. She had to admit that the look of appreciation he was giving her now was more than that of a friend. She laughed gently at his awestruck expression. "Are you okay, Booth?"

Booth forced himself to close his gaping mouth. "Yeah. You...look...amazing, Bones. Beyond amazing."

"You look very good yourself," she said as she admired his dark suit and lavender tie. She pointed to the tie. "How did you know that I had a lavender dress?"

"Angela may have mentioned it once or twice." His eyes were glued to her as he spoke. He told himself that it was rude to stare at his partner, but he was having a hard time doing anything else. "You...uh...ready to go?"

"Sure." She closed the door behind her and followed him to his car.

As they drove to the church, Brennan noticed that Booth's eyes were on her more than the road. "Maybe I should drive."

"Bones, I'm an excellent driver." Seconds later he slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting the car ahead of them.

"You almost hit that car!" _Maybe I should have worn something more conservative--this dress could get us both killed. _

"'Almost' doesn't count. Besides, he shouldn't have stopped in the middle of the road like that."

She pointed to the sign ahead. "There's a stop sign, Booth."

"Oh. It must be new." He told himself to get a grip. He had been looking forward to this day for months; he wasn't going to ruin it now by getting into an accident. Assuring himself that he would have plenty of time later to admire his partner, he kept his eyes on the road for the rest of the trip.

When they arrived at the church, they followed a group of FBI agents into the building. Brennan observed a few of them turning around to look at her, their faces showing the same appreciative stare Booth had given her earlier. Booth saw it too. He put his arm around her shoulders and glared at them until they turned around again. Brennan wondered if she should be offended by the overprotective gesture, but she decided that she didn't mind it.

Once they were inside, Brennan scanned the pews, looking for her friends. She saw them seated near the front of the church. "There's Angela and Hodgins." She started to walk towards them, but Booth held her back.

"Hold on a minute, Bones. I'm not sure it's a good idea for us to sit in the front."

"Why not?"_ He put his arm around me in front of his friends; why is he suddenly embarrassed to be seen with me?_

"Remember when we went to a church after the Grave Digger incident, and you said that God didn't exist? If you feel the need to trash talk God during the wedding, I'd prefer that we were far away from the priest."

Anger flared inside her. "You're worried that _I'm_ going to talk during the wedding? _You_ were the one who decided to tell me about my father's arrest during Angela and Jack's wedding!" She blushed slightly as she recalled how she had hugged Booth in front of all of Angela and Jack's friends.

Booth saw several heads turn in their direction. He ushered Brennan to the back of the church so they could have some privacy. "When we walked down the aisle, it occurred to me that seeing Angela with her dad might stir up some feelings. I'm sorry my timing sucked, okay?"

"Fine."

"Alright then. Let's go sit with your squints."

"No, we can sit in the back. I wouldn't want to embarrass you in front of your imaginary God." She walked to a back pew and took a seat.

Booth sat beside her. "Could you have said 'imaginary God' any louder? Jim and Lynn are Catholic, and I bet a lot of their guests are too."

"I shouldn't have come. I don't belong here." She tried to stand up, but Booth gently put a hand on her shoulder.

He regretted making her feel like an outsider. "Yes, you do. It's okay that you're not religious. I'm only asking you to show some respect for the people who are. Can you do that for me, please?"

The pleading in his eyes melted her anger. "I...can try."

"Thank you." The church organist started the processional music. "I need to tell you one more thing before the wedding starts."

"Something else you want me to do?"

"No. I just want to say that I'm happy you came." He smiled at her before turning his attention to the young, blond flower girl walking past them.

_How can he do that? _Brennan wondered as the bridesmaids followed suit. _How can he be so infuriating one moment and so charming the next?_ _It doesn't matter; I'm not going to think about him right now. I'm not going to think about how much I love his smiles or how attractive he looks in his suit._ _I'm going to pay attention to the wedding_.

She watched as Lynn walked down the aisle, escorted by an older man whom Brennan assumed was her father. When her father handed her over to Jim at the front of the church, Brennan was troubled. It was as if Lynn was a piece of property being transferred from father to husband. She reminded herself that this was no longer true in modern America, but the symbolism was still disturbing.

She listened as the priest lectured the couple about their duties to the church and to each other, and encouraged them to have many children. Considering Jim and Lynn's demanding careers and the scarcity of natural resources in the world, Brennan thought that this advice was impractical. _They should have children only if they want to, not because the church tells them to. _She made a mental note to debate this idea with Booth later.

Eventually the priest stopped talking, and people came up to the podium to read verses from the Bible. A bridesmaid read a verse that began "My love is like a gazelle or a young stag". Brennan found the line humorous but, remembering her promise to Booth, bit her lip before she could laugh. Luckily for her, the other readings didn't contain any more lover to animal comparisons.

After the readings, the congregation was expected to sing a hymn. Brennan didn't feel comfortable joining in, but she stood when everyone else did. She listened as those around her- Booth included- sang about God and how wonderful he was. _Booth takes his faith very seriously, _she thought when the hymn ended and everyone sat down again._ For me, the Bible verses and hymns are only words, but for Booth they carry a deeper meaning._ _He's experiencing this wedding on an entirely different level._ _I wonder what he's thinking_ _now..._

XXXXXXXXXX

_I'm thinking X-rated thoughts about Bones...in a church. There's no doubt about it--I'm going to hell. Why does she have to look so damn hot? I just want to touch every–snap out of it, Seeley! This is Jimmy's wedding! Stop fantasizing about your partner and put your mind back on the ceremony._

Jim and Lynn exchanged vows and rings. They practically glowed as they gazed at each other. Booth had never seen his friend looking so content. He was happy for him and Lynn–he really was–but he couldn't help feeling a little envious._ Is it wrong of me to want that happiness for myself too?_

As Jim and Lynn lit the Unity Candle, a symbol of their everlasting love, Booth turned to Brennan. She was staring straight ahead, completely unaware that she consumed his thoughts. _I know how you feel about marriage, but I still want this for us someday. I want you to walk down the aisle to me. I want to stand in front of my family and friends and declare my love for you._ _I want you by my side for the rest of our lives._ A small part of him wished that she could hear his thoughts, but he knew that it was better that she couldn't. _She'd probably kick my ass or run away from me. Maybe both._

The priest introduced the couple as "Mr. and Mrs. Jim Ryan", and the organist began to play the recessional tune. "What did you think of the ceremony, Bones?" Booth asked after the bridal party had left the church.

"Anthropologically, it was...interesting."

_Such a Bones answer. _"Glad to hear it."

"What did _you _think?"

"It was nice. Very nice." _Well, the parts of it where I was really paying attention were nice._ "Ready to go to the reception hall?"

When she nodded, he put his hand on the small of her back as they left the church. He relished the feel of the soft fabric under his fingers, but he wanted...no, he needed more. He needed to take her into his arms and feel her body pressed against his. _I have to be patient. I'll be able to dance with her at the reception soon enough_..._then I'll have a perfectly legitimate reason to hold her._

_I can wait. After two years of working with Bones and never giving in to my fantasies_, _restraint is my strongest muscle...and I'm going to need it tonight._

**Glad you're still with me. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Thanks to my reviewers, for every review they send/ And to CalleighAryn, my beta and my friend. :)**

"What does it feel like to have a religious experience?" Brennan asked from the passenger seat of Booth's car as they drove to the reception hall.

"Are you making fun of me?"

Brennan shook her head. "It was a serious question. When you were singing the hymn, you were smiling. I assumed you were having a religious experience."

Booth felt as if his face were on fire. _In my mind I was taking off your dress. My hands and mouth were touching you everywhere_ _and your moans were driving me crazy. You were begging me to make love to you and I couldn't refuse. I started shouting "Oh God" when our bodies connected, but I don't think that qualifies as a religious experience. _"I was...enjoying the ceremony," he said truthfully. "Did you?"

She thought for a few moments before answering. "It was enjoyable as an anthropological study."

"Of course. So what did you learn from your 'study'?"

"The wedding confirmed my belief that marriage is an antiquated institution. The idea that Lynn's father 'gave her away' as if she were a piece of property, the priest pressuring them to have children--"

"The Church doesn't pressure people to do things. They set up moral guidelines and encourage people to follow them for the greater good."

"And if you don't follow their guidelines, they tell you that you're going to suffer in hell for all eternity," Brennan countered. "Isn't that pressuring?"

"That's no different from our legal system saying that if you screw up, you'll get punished. We punish killers in this life, God punishes them in the afterlife."

"Do you think that you're going to be punished in the afterlife for killing people as a sniper?"

Booth felt like she had punched him in the stomach._ How is it that she can affect me so much with a single comment? _He thought of something he had heard years ago, although he couldn't remember who had said it. _"The people we love can hurt us the most. When you let someone into your heart, you give them power over you." Does Bones realize how much power she has over me? _"We're on our way to a party. Can we talk about something besides me burning in hell?"

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know. Something...happier."

"I went on a date a couple nights ago."

_You're killing me, Bones! _"It went well?" He hoped that he sounded nonchalant.

"I think so."

"What's his name?" _I'll run a background check on him to make sure he's not an axe murderer._

"Mark Turner."

"How did you meet him?"

"Online. This was the first time I'd seen him in person. He appears to be a suitable partner for satisfying biological--"

"Look at that, we're here!" Booth interrupted as he pulled into the parking lot of the reception hall. As they got out of the car, Booth felt a familiar ache in the pit of his stomach. It was the same nauseous feeling he had felt whenever he had seen Bones with Sully. _Don't get worked up over nothing, _he warned himself. _She went out on __**one**__ date with this guy. Her dates will come and go, but you're her partner. You'll always be there for her._

XXXXXXXXXX

When they entered the reception hall, they saw rows and rows of small red candles on a table. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that each candle had a piece of parchment tied around it. The parchment contained the handwritten name of a wedding guest and the number of the table to which that guest was assigned. Booth found his and Brennan's candles and took them off the table.

He handed her candle to her. "We're at table eight."

"What am I supposed to do with the candle?"

"It's kind of like a party favor. You take it home with you." They walked to their assigned table and found Angela and Hodgins already there.

"Sweetie!" Angela jumped out of her chair to embrace her best friend. "You look HOT. You too, Booth."

"Where were you guys?" Hodgins asked. " We didn't see you in the church."

"We were in the last pew," Brennan explained. "I wanted to sit with you and Angela, but Booth didn't want me garbage talking God in close proximity to the priest."

"It's trash talking, Bones, and you did. You called Him 'imaginary'."

"Considering that God doesn't exist, 'imaginary' is a reasonable term to use."

_Not again. You've insulted my religion enough for one day. _"We don't have to talk about this right now."

"Hey, Booth!" A tall, dark haired man and thin, blond woman had approached the table. "Good to see you. Guess we're sitting together."

"Good to see you too, Joe." He decided he should introduce the squints. "This is Jack Hodgins, Angela Montenegro, and my partner Temperance Brennan. They work at the Jeffersonian. Squints, Agent Joe Ferrier and his wife Danielle."

Several minutes later he introduced the squints again when Agent Amanda Young and her husband Craig joined the table. "So you two are dating?" Craig asked, misunderstanding when Booth introduced Brennan as his partner.

"No." Booth blushed. "We work together." Craig's comment made him realize something interesting–he and Bones were the only non-couple at the table. He told himself that this was a good thing. Since Joe and Craig were married, they probably wouldn't be ogling Bones all night long. On the other hand, being surrounded by couples was a painful reminder that he was still single.

Before too long dinner was served. Booth devoured a succulent steak while Brennan, enjoying her salad and pasta, gave him another lecture on why he should become a vegetarian. He defended his steak valiantly, wrapping up his argument with "Hey, at least it's not horse meat." The comment made her laugh while confusing the hell out of everyone else at the table. Seeing their curious expressions, Brennan started to describe Mr. Ed's death to the FBI agents and their spouses, but Booth stopped her before she could get to the gory details.

Towards the end of their meal, Jim and Lynn came to their table to thank them all for coming and ask how they were doing. Lynn told Brennan that she was thrilled to meet her and thanked her for the autographed copy of her latest book. When Jim and Lynn moved on to the next table, Booth pouted that Brennan had given them a copy of her book and not him. Not wanting to hurt his feelings, Brennan promised to give him one later.

When Jim and Lynn finished their rounds, they cut the wedding cake. After it was served, the best man and maid of honor toasted the bride and groom. The toasts were followed by the first dances: Jim and Lynn, Lynn and her father, and Jim and his mother. Finally the moment Booth had been waiting for had arrived-- the dance floor was now open. He had been talking to Joe, and when he turned to Brennan to ask her to dance, he saw that someone else had beat him to it. _No, not you!_

"Dr. Brennan, I'm Agent Kal Roberts. May I have this dance?" Brennan recognized him as one of the men who had been looking at her when she and Booth entered the church.

"NO!" Booth said before he could stop himself. He glared at the young, arrogant agent. _Everyone at the Bureau knows your reputation when it comes to women. __Get the hell away from my Bones!_

"Booth! I'm more than capable of answering for myself!" She accepted Kal's invitation and let him lead her to the dance floor.

Danielle and Amanda led their husbands to the floor as well, leaving Booth, Angela and Hodgins sitting at the table. "Booth, if I didn't know better I'd think you were jealous," Angela teased.

"I'm only looking out for my partner, alright? Kal is a womanizer and a jerk," Booth spat. "He's not worthy of her."

"It's just a dance," Angela said reassuringly. "You can ask her for the next one." She grabbed Hodgins' hand. "We'll see you on the dance floor."

Hodgins patted Booth's shoulder. "Good luck, man."

Now Booth was completely alone at the table. The familiar ache in his stomach returned with a vengeance as he watched Kal and Bones together. Over the course of the dance, Kal moved closer and closer to her. Now his hands were sliding down her back. _You sonofabitch! How dare you touch her like that! _Booth approached them, determined to rescue her from this creep. He observed Kal whispering something to her. Brennan's eyes widened...and she knocked him to the floor.

Booth was at her side instantly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she snapped. Hitting Kal had sent adrenaline coursing through her veins, but she forced herself to take a deep breath, willing her body to calm down. "Do you want to dance?"

_YES! _"Sure." Happily he took her hand in his and they started to dance. "Can I...ask what happened?"

"He asked me to sleep with him in a very rude way." She saw that Kal had picked himself off of the floor and was already putting the moves on another woman. "What a disgusting individual."

"Yeah, that's why I didn't want him to dance with you. But I'm sorry I blurted out "no". You were right; you can answer for yourself."

"Maybe I shouldn't answer for myself. I have a bad track record when it comes to men."

"Everybody has their share of bad relationships. Don't let it stop you. Someday you'll find that connection."

"I should have you pick a man for me. I trust your judgment."

_Gee, I wonder who I would pick. _"Thanks." They continued to move together, not noticing that the song had stopped. Moments later, when the DJ announced that he was taking requests, Booth was inspired. "I'll be right back." He gave the DJ his requests and rushed back to Brennan before any more of his colleagues could hit on her. _Of course, if they saw her take down Kal, they might be less willing to try their luck. _He grinned at the thought.

"What song did you ask for?"

"I asked for two songs. You'll know them when you hear them."

They had danced together for about an hour before the opening chords of _Hot Blooded _filled the room. Booth expected Bones to smile and let loose, just as she had in her apartment when they had listened to the song together. Instead her face lost all expression. She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. _I wanted her in my arms, her body pressed against mine, but I didn't want her to be upset at the time. Is this my punishment for mentally undressing her in church?_ He rubbed her back gently. "What's wrong? I thought you loved this song."

"I used to...but now I associate it with you being blown up in my kitchen."

_Brilliant move, Booth. No one will ever mistake __**you**__ for a squint. _"I didn't think of that. I'm so sorry."

"I almost lost you," she whispered.

"But you didn't. I'm here, I'm right here."

After _Hot Blooded_, the DJ played Booth's second request, _Keep on Tryin'_. Booth sang the lyrics out loud as he held her. "I'll keep on tryin'/ I'm tired of cryin'/ I got to find a way/ To get on home to you." When the song ended, he lifted her face to his. "I'll never leave you, Bones. Never."

"You can't promise that."

"I can, and I will."

She smiled. She knew that his promise was illogical, yet she wanted to believe it. "Do you want to keep dancing?"

"If you're up for it."

They danced until the DJ declared that it was time for the bride to throw her bouquet. Brennan sat down with Booth. She had no intention of fighting other women over a bunch of flowers. Angela, however, refused to accept her refusal. She dragged her best friend onto the dance floor, where they joined a large group of single women.

"Ange, this is ridiculous. There is no correlation between your ability to catch a bouquet and the likelihood that you'll get married. Even if there were, I don't want to be married."

"I do. You don't have to catch it, Bren. Just be my friend and stand next to me, okay?"

"Fine." Brennan watched in horror as Lynn's bouquet came right at her. She told herself that she wasn't going to touch it, but instinct to protect herself overrode her logical thoughts. She caught it just before it had the chance to hit her face. She turned to Angela as the other women left the floor with disappointed sighs. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to catch it."

"I know, hon. It's okay." Angela pretended that she too was disappointed, but in truth she was holding back a squeal of delight. She and Brennan went back to their table as the DJ announced the garter toss. Angela leaned in close to Booth, whispering in his ear. "You realize that whoever catches the garter gets to put it on Brennan."

Booth nearly choked on his drink. _What if Kal or someone like him catches it? I can't let those bastards grope __**my**__ partner. _He pulled Hodgins with him onto the floor.

"Dude, I can't catch it!" Hodgins protested. "Dr. Brennan's my boss!"

Booth surveyed the crowd of single men, spotting Kal and other guys who had stared at Brennan when they arrived at the church. They were much too enthusiastic for his liking. "I'd rather have you catch it than most of these guys."

As Jim removed Lynn's garter and threw it into the crowd, Booth prayed that if he didn't catch it, someone decent would. His prayers were answered when it landed in the hands of Agent Charlie Hughes. Booth let out a long sigh of relief. Charlie was a good kid; Booth could trust him not to be inappropriate with Bones.

He saw Angela run up to Charlie. She said something to him that Booth couldn't hear, but whatever it was had Charlie nodding. While Booth wondered what had been said, Charlie walked up to him and tossed him the garter. Booth's mind couldn't believe it, but his hands instinctively reached out to catch it.

Booth's colleagues howled at the exchange and started chanting his name. Their shouts became even louder and more obnoxious when Angela led Brennan to a chair set up on the middle of the dance floor. Booth was trying to stay calm, but his heart was racing so fast that he thought it might burst out of his chest.

_This could be the most intimate thing I've ever done with Bones...and over a hundred people are watching._

**Thanks for reading! All reviews are chocolate for my soul. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Wow! I was blown away by the amount of reviews I received on the last chapter; my soul has never been more well fed. Sincere thanks to my fabulous reviewers and my dedicated beta CalleighAryn.**

**AN2: The use of alternating POVs was inspired by nekkidboothinc's "Happy Holidays: Halloween Edition". If you're old enough to read "M" stories, check it out. It's an amazing read.**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"BOOTH! BOOTH! BOOTH!"

"You the man, Seel!"

"Go for it!"

"I'll do it if you don't want to!"

"Shut up, Kal!"

Booth kneeled at Brennan's feet, the blue and white garter in his hand, trying to block out the shouts of his co-workers. His mind was racing as fast as his heart, which was stubbornly refusing to return to a normal rhythm.

_I can't do this. Bones is my partner. As her partner, I can talk to her about anything (except my feelings for her). I can eat with her at the diner or bring take-out to her apartment. I can save her when she's in danger and hold her when she's upset._ _But sticking my hands up her dress to move a garter up her leg? That's __**not**__ something a partner can do. This is crazy! I could strangle Angela for telling Charlie to give me the garter. He should have kept it for himself. He should be up here right now, and I should be sitting at the table with the meddling squint and her boyfriend._

Booth's mind laughed at him. _You'd rather watch someone else touch her the way you want to touch her? Who are you kidding? You were miserable when she told you about her date with Mark and you hated Kal for asking her to dance. Stop pretending that the thought of her with another guy doesn't make you jealous. Angela did you a huge favor. You should buy her candy and flowers to show your thanks. This is a golden opportunity, so don't you dare screw it up._

_Opportunity? For what, feeling up my partner? No, I won't disrespect Bones that way. Tradition or not, I won't touch her without her permission. _"We don't have to do this," he whispered.

XXXXXXXXXX

_The tradition of throwing the garter supposedly dates back to 14__th__ Century Europe. It was believed that possessing a piece of the bride's clothing would bring good fortune, so the guests would tear her dress apart. To combat this appalling custom, brides started throwing things to their guests–including the bouquet and garter. Whoever catches these items is said to be the next person to marry. _

_Utterly ridiculous, yet Jim and Lynn's guests seem very excited about the whole thing._

Brennan looked down at Booth, who was kneeling at her feet. _Why does he look so nervous? We've been in more stressful situations than this. He must be uncomfortable being the center of attention._

He whispered to her that they didn't have to do this. She barely heard him over the shouts of his fellow FBI agents. "You don't have to be nervous."

"I'm not nervous!" He said defensively.

"What are you waiting for then?"

"You're really okay with me doing this?"

"It's fine, Booth. Go ahead."

He hesitated momentarily, then took off her left shoe and placed it on the floor beside her chair. He slowly eased the garter over her foot and began to push it up her leg. She noticed that he was being very careful to keep his hands on the garter only. _Too careful._

_What?! Why did I just think that? Do I want Booth __**not **__to be careful? Do I want him to touch me?_

She heard Angela's voice in her head. _Of course you want him to touch you! Why else would you let him put his hand on your back all the time without saying anything? Why didn't you mind when he put his arm around you when you entered the church? Why were you so content to let him hold you on the dance floor? You're a smart woman, Bren-- figure it out!_

She considered the facts for a few moments before reaching a conclusion. _I do want Booth to touch me. I've tried to convince myself that anyone can satisfy my biological urges, but the truth is that I want him to be the one satisfying me. _She stared into Booth's eyes. She couldn't read people the way he could, but she was fairly certain that she saw passion there. _He wants it too, but he's holding himself back. _"Touch me," she said softly.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Bones said that she's okay with me doing this, and the guys will never let me forget it if I don't._ _Just do it and be done with it. _He removed her shoe and began moving the garter over her foot and up her leg.

_Slowly now. Be gentle. Be a gentleman. Give that restraint muscle a good workout. Keep your fingers on the garter. Try to think about anything besides the fact that you have your hands up her dress. Think about the pride you felt on your first day as a FBI agent. Think about the time you took Parker to the zoo. Think about–_

_OH GOD! Did she just ask me to touch her? No, that's impossible. The wine must be messing with my head, making me hallucinate. Or maybe she did say something and I heard it wrong. Maybe she said "Don't touch me." That makes much more sense._

"Touch me, Booth," she repeated softly.

_Okay, there definitely wasn't a 'don't' in there. Bones WANTS me to touch her. Be a gentleman, Booth...give the lady what she wants. _Still not entirely convinced that he wasn't imagining this, he tentatively let his fingers drop from the garter and touch her leg. Several seconds later, he stopped to see if she was going to slap him. She didn't.

"Again," she whispered.

_I shouldn't be doing this. This is clearly not partner-like behavior._

_Come on, Seeley! You don't want to disappoint her, do you? If you don't give her what she wants, someone like Kal will be more than happy to do it._

_Why not? A few little touches won't ruin our partnership, right? _He allowed his fingers to run up and down her leg. Her skin was as smooth as he had always imagined it would be.

The Catholic part of his brain started screaming at him. _This is wrong! You better not be enjoying yourself!_

_I'm not enjoying myself, it's all for Bones._

_Yeah right. You've wanted to touch her like this for years._

_Fine, I admit it. I am enjoying myself...a lot...and it looks like she is too. But this isn't the right time to be doing this. I need to finish putting the garter on before I do something I'll regret._

XXXXXXXXXX

_I can't believe that I just told Booth to touch me. But I can't take it back now...What is he waiting for? Why does he look so confused?_

"Touch me, Booth," she said again. For several wonderful seconds she felt his fingers caress her skin, sending jolts of electricity throughout her body. _Why did he stop? _"Again," she begged.

Now his fingers were dancing up and down her leg. _Oh God, that feels so good. _She bit her lip to stop a moan from escaping her mouth. _We probably shouldn't be doing this. I should tell him to stop. Say the words, Temperance. Tell him to stop._

_Now._

_Okay, now._

_Right now. I mean it!_

_Temperance Brennan! Get control of yourself!_ _You've never been one to let emotions cloud your judgment. This isn't the right time or place to indulge biological urges._

Luckily, Booth seemed to have come to his senses. He eased the garter just above her knee and then hastily withdrew his hands from under her dress. She stood up and put her left shoe back on. Together they went back to their table, ignoring the cheers and whistles of the other guests.

"Wow, Booth. You certainly took your time putting that garter on," Angela teased.

Brennan saw that Booth's face was an almost unnatural shade of red. "Excuse me." She watched as he walked away from the table as fast as he could without breaking into a run.

XXXXXXXXXX

Booth locked himself in a bathroom stall. _What the hell just happened? That was definitely crossing the line._

_Crossing the line? _His mind laughed at him yet again. _You didn't just cross it, you flew right past it. For two years you were so careful. Every time you shared an intimate moment, every time you came close to admitting how you felt about her, you pulled back before things went too far. Two years of restraint, fighting your deepest desires so you could preserve your partnership...and a few moments of weakness may have ruined everything. Speaking of deep desires..._

Booth looked down at his pants to confirm what his mind already knew, that touching Bones had aroused him more than extended foreplay with any of his previous girlfriends. _Great. Just great._ _Good thing Angela didn't see that...or did she? Did everyone notice that putting the garter on my partner got me turned on? If they did, I'll be hearing about it at work for weeks. Or months. Maybe even the rest of my career._

_I think I need to stay in the bathroom for a little while._

XXXXXXXXX

Brennan circled the reception hall, expecting to find Booth at any moment. _Where is he? I hope he doesn't hate me for asking him to cross the line. I need to talk to him. I'll tell him that what happened doesn't have to change our partnership. _

_What if it's already too late? What if I've already driven him away? What if he asks Cullen to reassign him?_

_No, Booth said he would never leave me._

_But everyone ends up leaving me: my parents... my brother...my boyfriends. Sully insisted that our relationship was much more than a fling, but that didn't stop him from sailing out of my life._

"Sweetie!" Angela ran up to her. "What's wrong?"

Brennan kept walking and Angela struggled to keep up. "I can't find Booth."

Angela smiled. "He might be in the bathroom taking care of his little problem. Well, it's not exactly a 'little' problem, if you know what I mean."

_What is she talking about? _"No, I don't."

"Of course. What were you saying to Booth when he was putting the garter on? I saw your lips move, but I couldn't hear anything over all the shouting."

Brennan blushed. "Nothing. Nothing happened."

"Nothing, huh? 'Nothing' made him pretty hot."

"Angela!"

"What? Didn't you see how red his face was?" She moved in front of Brennan. "You can't pretend anymore that he doesn't want you."

Brennan walked around her. "I need to find him."

"Calm down, sweetie. He'll find you when he's ready."

XXXXXXXXXX

Booth heard the bathroom door open and a familiar voice humming _When You Say Nothing At All, _the song Jim and Lynn had chosen for their first dance. "Jimmy?"

"Booth?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, your girl's been looking for you."

"She's not my girl, she's my partner."

"I'll be honest with you, buddy. When you were putting the garter on her, it looked like you two were more than partners."

_Crap! _"So...do you think my feelings for her were...obvious to everyone?"

Jimmy laughed. "I told you that the guys gossip about you and Dr. Brennan. They already know you have feelings for her."

Booth came out of the stall and looked around to make sure they were alone. "But was it obvious that I was...excited?"

Jimmy stopped laughing when he heard the fear in his friend's voice. "Oh. No, it wasn't. Is that why you've been hiding in here?" He took Booth's silence as a 'yes'. "Go out there and talk to her."

"It's not that easy."

"I know. It took me months to tell Lynn that I liked her. I was terrified that she'd shoot me down or tell me to get lost, but she didn't...and look where we are now. We're at _my wedding_." He said with pride. "I don't think Dr. Brennan will tell you to get lost."

"Look, what Bones and I have...it's special. I don't want to mess it up, you know? She's had a tough time with relationships, and I refuse to be just another guy who hurts her." _I couldn't live with myself if I hurt Bones. She and Parker are the most important people in my life._

"Did you ever think that you're hurting her by not telling her how you feel?"

"What?"

"Think about it. While you're decent enough to worry about hurting her, guys like Kal have no problem breaking her heart. If _you_ were dating her, she would be safe...and happy."

_He's right. I could make her happy._ "Thanks, Jimmy."

"No problem. Good luck."

"Yeah. I'll need it." As Jimmy left the bathroom, Booth took several deep breaths, preparing himself to face his feelings...and his partner.

XXXXXXXXXX

Brennan circled the reception hall for the fifth time. _This is absurd. He's not out here, and I'm tired of waiting for him to find me._ _Maybe Angela was right; I should check the bathroom._

She knocked on the door to the men's room. "Booth?"

"Bones?"

She opened the door to find her partner standing in front of the sink, looking as if he were deep in thought. "How long are you planning on staying in here?"

He jumped at the sound of her voice. "BONES! This is the men's room! You can't be in here!"

"Is that why you're in here? Because you wanted to hide from me?"

"No, of course not. Let's talk outside, okay?" He put his hand on her back as they exited the bathroom. On their way out, they ran into Kal, who smirked at the sight of them leaving together.

"Hooking up in a bathroom? Very classy, Booth," Kal said.

Booth glared at him. "Shut up, Kal...unless you want your ass kicked...again."

Kal's face paled. He mumbled an apology as he stumbled past them into the bathroom.

Booth and Brennan made their way out of the reception hall and sat on the front steps. "So were you in the bathroom all that time?" Brennan asked.

"Yeah," Booth admitted sheepishly. "But it wasn't because I was hiding from you."

"Why then? Were you having digestive difficulties?"

"No! I...just needed some time to think."

"Angela said that you might be in the bathroom because you were taking care of your little problem, whatever that means." She saw his face turn bright red again. "I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable."

"It's okay," he said, although his face suggested otherwise. "So Angela did notice," he muttered.

"Notice what?"

"Never mind."

"Notice what?" She repeated impatiently.

She wouldn't have thought that it was possible, but his face became even redder. "That I was...turned on when I...you know--"

"It's a natural biological function, Booth. It's nothing to be embarrassed about." She put her hand on his arm.

Booth placed his hand on top of hers. "It's more than biology. If what I felt for you was just a "biological urge", I could take a cold shower and move on. But I--"

"Nothing has to change," she said quickly, afraid of what he was about to say. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to touch--"

"Don't be sorry. You didn't put a gun to my head. I _wanted_ to touch you. I've wanted to show you how I feel about you for a long time now. You're right that things don't have to change, but I want them to change. I want us to be more than 'just partners.'" He stared at her with such intensity that she had to look away. "Bones...Temperance...look at me."

_I can't. I can't handle this much emotion right now._

He moved his hand to her cheek, gently turning her face towards his. "I love you."

**Thanks for reading; I'd love to hear your thoughts!**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I loved writing this story and reading your comments, but, alas, all good things must come to an end. Thanks again to everyone who has been reading and reviewing**, **and of course my brilliant beta CalleighAryn for her invaluable assistance and support.**

**AN2: This chapter does contain some smut (naturally) but nothing graphic because I wanted to keep the rating at "T".**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Booth had often wondered what Brennan's reaction to those three little words would be. As they sat on the steps, his mind considered the possible outcomes and how he would respond to each of them.

_Scenario 1:_ _She argues with me, saying that the idea of "love" is irrational. Solution: Argue back. Convince her that, rational or not, my feelings for her are real._

_Scenario 2: She runs away. Solution_: _Follow her. Let her know that no matter how fast or how far she runs, I'll always be there to chase after her._

_Scenario 3: She attacks me. Solution: Restrain her firmly enough to protect myself, but not so firmly as to hurt her. If that fails, run and gather reinforcements._

_Scenario 4: She says that she loves me too and kisses me passionately. Solution: Kiss her back until I run out of air. Stop to breathe. Then repeat._

Booth didn't gamble anymore, but if he had to place a bet on which scenario was the most likely, his money would be on the first one. Or maybe the third. Possibly the second. It would be safer to bet on the least likely scenario, which was obviously the fourth one. The fourth scenario occurred most often in his fantasies, but he doubted it would happen in real life. _Why did I tell her? I just screwed up our partnership permanently._

As the seconds continued to slide away without a response from her, he added a new scenario to the list:

_Scenario 5: She never speaks to me again. Solution:_ _Drink. A Lot._

He tried to be patient, but he couldn't stand the silence any longer. "Bones...please say something."

"What should I say?"

"You could say that you love me back...if you do." He looked at her hopefully, trying to judge her reaction.

"I don't know if I do. Maybe I should go hide in the women's bathroom and think about it."

_Uh oh. She's pissed. _"I wasn't hiding! I was dealing with my 'little problem', a problem I had because **you **asked me to touch you. Twice."

"You weren't 'dealing with your little problem' when I walked into the bathroom. You were just standing there. You ran away from me, and I had to come find you. What's to say that you won't run away again? Sully said that he loved me, but that didn't stop him from leaving me."

_Okay, now __**I'm**__ pissed. _"You're comparing me to Sully?! You've known me for much longer than you knew him. Haven't I proved myself to you yet? Besides, **you** were the one who decided not to go with him!"

"Because I didn't want to leave you!" Realizing she had said too much, Brennan tried to cover up her mistake. "I mean that I didn't want to leave the work I do with you."

Handel's _Hallelujah Chorus_, which they sang in his church every year at Christmas, suddenly popped into his head. "You do love me."

"No, you misunderstood my comment." He heard a note of panic in her voice.

"It's okay, Bones. You can say it."

"Does the sentiment have any value if you force me to say it?"

"Why do you have to be so stubborn all the time? You can spout out all sorts of complicated scientific terms and Latin names for things, but you can't say three single-syllable words?"

"I'm physically able to say the words, but I won't say them because their meaning is illogical."

"Forget logic! I'm not asking you to solve a math problem. I'm asking you to admit that you have feelings for me."

"You know that I don't believe in love. 'Love' is merely a socially acceptable excuse for engaging in sexual--"

"Stop boiling everything down to science. There's more to life than---" He stopped himself when he saw the doors to the reception hall swing out towards them. Brennan was seated too close to the door, so he grabbed her before she got hit.

"I can't believe you hit a FBI agent," Hodgins said to Angela as they walked down the steps. They were too focused on each other to notice Booth and Brennan. "That was so hot."

Angela smiled. "Well, he deserved it."

"I agree." He pulled her towards him and kissed her.

If Booth had been in a better mood, he might have let them enjoy this moment uninterrupted, but, unfortunately for them, he wasn't. "YOU hit a FBI agent?" _First Brennan, now Angela. What is this, 'Squints Gone Wild'?_

Angela unwillingly pulled away from her lover to face Booth. "I only smacked him with my purse."

"Who did you smack?" Brennan asked.

"That sleazy guy who asked you to dance. I can see now why you enjoy attacking people so much. It's such a rush."

"I don't _enjoy_ attacking people," Brennan said, eliciting amused expressions from her friends. "Did he tell you that you might as well sleep with him because he would tell everyone you did anyway?"

"WHAT?" Booth was outraged. "Is that what he said to you? I'll kick his ass myself!"

Brennan put her hand on Booth's arm. "Calm down, Booth. I took care of the situation."

"No, he didn't hit on me," Angela answered. "Hodgins and I heard him telling people that you and Booth hooked up in the men's room. What a jerk! What you and Booth did in there is nobody else's business." She leaned close to Brennan and whispered, "Give me the details later, okay?"

"Ange! I didn't have sex with Booth in the bathroom!"

"It's true," Booth said, relieved that her anger was now directed at her best friend instead of him. "Bones went in there to find me and we left together. That's it."

"Seriously?" Angela's face dropped.

"Yes, seriously," Brennan shot back. "Why would we have sex in the bathroom when Booth went there to avoid me?"

"I was going to come find you!" Booth argued.

Brennan started walking away from him. "I'm not talking about this any more. I'm going home."

Booth followed her. "How? I drove you here!"

She spun around to face Angela and Hodgins. "Will you give me a ride home?"

Hodgins said "yes" at the exact second that Angela said "no."

"Why not?" Brennan asked Angela.

"Because I'm not going to help you run away from your issues with Booth. We need to talk."

XXXXXXXXXX

Angela dragged Brennan to a gazebo a few hundred feet from the front steps. "Tell me what happened."

"I don't want to discuss it." _Maybe if I'm lucky Angela won't push the issue._

"I won't give you a ride home until we talk."

_I should have known better than to hope for 'luck'._ "I'm tired. Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

Angela didn't believe it for a second. "You're not tired, you're only trying to postpone this conversation. It won't work. I'll keep asking you what happened until you tell me, so, logically speaking, you'd save yourself a great deal of aggravation by telling me now."

_She's right. I should say it now and be done with it. _"Booth told me that he loved me."

Angela squealed. "That's so wonderful!" She gave Brennan a hug. "Now I see why you're so mad at him."

"You do?"

Angela laughed at Brennan's confused expression. "Sweetie, anger is a much safer emotion than love. You're scared to love him back, so you fight with him instead. You push him away so he won't get close and hurt you."

Brennan rolled her eyes. "I hate psychology."

"But this time it's true. I know that your previous boyfriends hurt you, but Booth isn't like them. None of them ever looked at you the way Booth does. He's the man for you, Bren."

"But--"

"No buts. You're an intelligent woman. Pushing Booth away would be the stupidest thing you've ever done. Give him a chance. Give the car a test drive before you decide you don't want to buy it."

Brennan couldn't repress a smile. "Booth isn't a car."

"But you'd like to ride him."

"Ange!"

"Fine, I'll stop using metaphors. The sexual tension between you and Booth has become unbearable–not only for you guys, but for everyone around you. If you want to save your partnership, you need to have sex with him as soon as possible. You do want to, don't you?"

"Yes... although I'm not sure that counts as 'love.'"

Angela grinned. "It's a start, sweetie."

XXXXXXXXXX

Booth and Hodgins sat on the steps, watching Brennan and Angela in the gazebo. Booth wished he could hear what they were saying. _At least I know Angela is on my side. If she ruled the universe, Bones and I would be married by now._

After a few minutes of silence, Hodgins got up the courage to address the obviously pissed off agent. "So...Dr. Brennan seemed pretty upset."

_That's the understatement of the year. _"Yeah. You know, most women want a guy to say 'I love you.'"

Hodgins smiled. "We both know Dr. Brennan isn't most women. Congratulations for finally saying it." He couldn't help adding: "It took you long enough."

Booth fought the urge to reach for his gun. "I got enough crap from your boss. I don't need any more from you."

"Sorry, man. I'm guessing that she didn't say it back."

"Good guess, genius."

Hodgins knew that Angela was currently making Dr. Brennan feel better. Perhaps he could do the same for Booth. "When Dr. Brennan and I were buried alive, she said that you would find us. She didn't say it as a wish or a possibility, but as a fact. She had absolute faith in you. I hoped that she was right, but just in case I wrote a note to Angela saying goodbye. I asked Dr. Brennan if she wanted to write a note to anyone. Who you do think she wrote to?"

_This better not be a trick question. _"Me?"

"You."

"What did the note say?"

"She didn't let me read it, but I peeked once or twice when she was writing. I saw something about her valuing your friendship and partnership. It was as sentimental as I've ever seen her. She may not recognize her feelings as 'love', but I know she loves you."

_Bones was thinking of me during what could have been her last hours. _"Thanks, Hodgins." _Now I'm glad that I didn't shoot you. _He saw Brennan and Angela coming towards them. "Bones looks happier, right?"

"Angela is a wonderful woman. I'm sure she worked things out."

Brennan and Angela met them on the stairs. "Will you take me home, Booth?" Brennan asked.

_Now I definitely need to buy Angela candy and flowers. _"We should say goodbye to Jim and Lynn first, then I'll be happy to take you home."

"Alright." Together they went back into the reception hall.

Hodgins pulled Angela to him for another kiss. "You're incredible, babe. Are you ready to go?"

"Soon. When Booth and Brennan come out, I want to go in and talk to Lynn for a minute. I realized that I forgot to thank her."

"For inviting you to the wedding?"

Angela flashed him a wicked smile. "For throwing the bouquet at Brennan."

"You asked her to do that," Hodgins realized. "Did you also ask Jimmy to throw the garter towards Booth?"

"His aim wasn't as good as Lynn's. Luckily the guy who caught it was very understanding."

"You arranged another conspiracy and didn't tell me?" Hodgins pouted.

"Sorry, Hodgie. I didn't want to risk Booth overhearing again." She wrapped her arms around him. "I promise to make it up to you tonight."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Can I get you a drink?" Brennan asked as she and Booth entered her apartment.

"No thanks."

They sat on the couches in her living room, an uncomfortable silence hanging over them until they attempted to break it at the same time.

"So--" Booth began.

"Thank--" Brennan started.

"You go ahead," Booth insisted.

"That's okay. You go," Brennan countered.

"Ladies first, Bones."

"That's an antiquated gender stereotype!"

"Fine. You go first because alphabetically 'Bones' comes before 'Booth'."

"You're comparing a nickname to a last name. For a fair comparison, we should use the same standard. If we use last names, 'Booth' comes before 'Brennan.'"

Booth smiled. "There's only one way to settle this: rock, paper, scissors." He reminded her of the rules. They counted to three and held out their hands. After a few ties, Brennan's scissors defeated Booth's paper. "Congratulations, Bones. You get to go first."

"Maybe we should come up with a less childish way to solve future disputes."

"We will. In the meantime, just accept your victory."

"Okay." After a brief pause, she continued her interrupted sentiment. "Thank you for inviting me to the wedding. I...had a nice time."

"Yeah. Me too." The awkward silence returned for a few minutes. "So...now that you know how I feel about you...can we talk about what happens now?"

Brennan knew what she wanted to happen, but she wasn't sure that Booth would agree. Then again, she could be very persuasive when she wanted to be. "I can't have a serious talk about our relationship with this silly garter still on my leg. Since you did such a good job putting it on, maybe you would be willing to take it off for me."

Booth felt his pants getting tighter. "Temperance Brennan, are you trying to seduce me?"

"Is it working?"

"Oh yeah." He followed her to her bedroom and watched as she sat on the edge of her bed, lifting her legs to give him easy access to the garter. Reaching under her dress for the second time that night, his fingers found the garter and pulled it towards him. He was tempted to remove her clothes just as quickly, but he held himself back. It would be easy–too easy–to let himself settle for a hard and fast encounter. He was sure that her previous lovers had done that with her plenty of times, but he was going to be different. He would take things slow; he would give her a night of romance. Dropping the garter on the floor, he sat beside her on the bed. "I want to show you what real love is."

Slowly he brought his lips to hers. He had never been so nervous about a first kiss, but, then again, he had never loved a woman as much as he loved Bones. He wanted everything to be perfect for her. As their lips met in a passionate explosion, all of his worries evaporated. He knew they would remember this moment for the rest of their lives. Now that he had started kissing her, he found that he couldn't stop. Soon he was unzipping her dress, sliding off her underwear, and unhooking her beautiful silk bra and silver necklace so that he could kiss her everywhere. Feeling her hands fumbling with his shirt buttons, he reluctantly pulled away from her to help her undress him. When they were both free of their clothes, he continued his thorough exploration of her body.

Brennan had never had a lover touch her with such tender affection. Initially she had found it strange, but now she had to admit that it was a very pleasant sensation. Following his lead, she did her own examination of his hard, muscular body. In her dreams, she had often admired his well-toned physique, but in the waking world she would never allow herself to stare. Now she could look and touch as much as she wanted. She let her hands and lips trace every muscle, every curve, every scar, mapping his body and committing it to memory.

As they touched each other, all the obstacles they had put in their way, all the excuses they had used to stay apart faded away. Their passion grew until it could no longer be denied. After two years of longing, they finally let their bodies unite. They moved together and came together again and again until sheer exhaustion left them breathless.

"We became one," Brennan marveled as they held each other, her head happily resting on Booth's chest. "We broke the laws of physics."

Booth thought that this was the most romantic thing any woman had ever said to him. "I always wanted our first time together to be 'making love', not just 'sex'."

She nodded vehemently. "I understand the distinction now. 'Sex' is just a physical connection, but with 'making love' there's an emotional connection too. I've experienced the physical connection many times, but never the emotional one...until now. Thank you for showing me the difference."

"You showed me too. I really do love you, Temperance." He kissed the top of her head. Soon he was asleep in her arms.

As Brennan watched him sleep, she thought about how her life had changed since the day their partnership began. He had been just a partner in the beginning, but over time he had become so much more. Now she couldn't picture her life without him. "I think I love you too," she whispered.

Booth opened his eyes and gave her the biggest charm smile she had ever seen. "I'm glad to hear it."

Brennan blushed. "You...you were supposed to be sleeping!"

"I tried to go to sleep, but I couldn't. I don't want this night to end."

She laughed softly. "You don't have to be so dramatic. We can make love tomorrow night too."

Booth's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Really," Brennan echoed. "But on second thought, why wait until tomorrow?" As their minds and bodies connected once more, they realized that their search for a soulmate was over. Now that they knew what it felt like to be together, they could never go back to being apart.

FINIS

**Hope you enjoyed the conclusion. As always, it gives me great pleasure to hear your thoughts. :)**


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